UPDATE: We heard back from owner Olga Kinnard and manager Ferenc Nemeth — who are also professional dance partners — after we posted this item. They explained that while their DanceSport training was successful, they decided to find a new space that would accommodate clients who otherwise had to travel into the city and also to allow them to host social dance parties. At the Wellesley location, which features 3,000 square feet of space and 18-foot-high ceilings, Dance Republic will offer Dance Fusion for kids (accepting children by audition only) as well as dance fitness, yoga, social dance lessons and dance parties for adults. “Our specialty was always our Dance Sport training program, which is heavily based on private instruction and Dance Sport competition preparation. It is more popular among women. Women love to dance, but often can’t convince their significant others to take it seriously. That is where we come in—by providing the opportunity to learn, perform, and compete with a professional dance instructor (this idea is similar to the of Dancing with the Stars).”
Dance Republic, a new dance and fitness studio tucked away off the main drag in Wellesley Hills at 10 Prescott St., is spicing up the local fitness scene with dance programs that range from competitive to social and Zumba to Salsa to waltz.
While the exterior of the facility isn’t glamorous (a new sign is in the works), the interior boasts 18-foot-high ceilings and looks spectacular.
The business got its start in Allston in 2006, initially focused on competitive DanceSport training, and opened its doors in Wellesley this spring with programs for adults and children (starting at age 6). Programs fall into three basic categories: Fitness (which includes power yoga and pilates), social dance (including parties) and dance sport (competitive). Also offered: wedding dance lessons.
Here are some inspiring words from the company’s website that might challenge a few other professionals in town: “You’ll find that you don’t need equipment to be in great shape, you don’t need antidepressants to be happy, and you don’t need plastic surgery to be beautiful — you just have to dance and everything will change.”
